‘FEELS WONDERFUL’
Wade Skiffington released on $100,000 bail pending ministerial review
An emotional Wade Skiffington said he was just happy to “breath some fresh air, free air” for the first time in more than 17 years.
The Newfoundland man was convicted in 2001 of the second-degree murder of his common-law wife, Wanda Martin, 20, who was shot to death in a friend’s home in Richmond in 1994. He lost his appeal, but has maintained his innocence and believes he was wrongfully convicted.
On Wednesday, B.C. Supreme Court Justice Michael Tammen released Skiffington on $100,000 bail after the federal justice minister decided last year that there may have been a miscarriage of justice in his case and that there was a need for further investigation.
It is the first time in B.C. that a convicted murderer has been released on bail pending such a ministerial review.
“It feels wonderful, it really does,” a clearly relieved Skiffington told reporters. “I’d like to first of all thank the judge, (Justice) Tammen, for being fair and just.”
Skiffington, 52, also thanked Innocence Canada, an organization that deals with cases of wrongful conviction, as well as his lawyers, Phil Campbell and Tamara Duncan.
“I’d also like to thank my family — my dad, my mom. Sorry, I’m really emotional. My family stuck with me through thick and thin for 17 years. It’s been a hard go.
“I maintained my innocence throughout all this time and I will continue to maintain my innocence until the justice minister clears me.”
Asked about the first thing he was going to do, Skiffington’s mood turned lighter and he said he wanted something to eat, possibly a steak.
Earlier, he hugged his father, Tom Skiffington, when the dad and son met in the lobby of the Vancouver Law Courts following his release. He cried in court when the judge ordered him released.
“This is something we’ve been waiting for 17 years,” the dad told reporters earlier. “We’ve known he was innocent all along and I’m so glad to have him come back home.”
Duncan said that it was a “very important day” for her client, but added that there was a “long journey” still ahead.
She was referring to the fact that the justice department may take several years to reach a conclusion in its investigation.
The minister will ultimately have to decide either to send the case back to the courts for a new trial, refer it to the B.C. Court of Appeal, or dismiss his application altogether.
“It’s been a long, hard battle,” said Wade Skiffington. “But I always thought it would work out in the end and I’m onmywaythere.”
In considering whether to release Skiffington on bail, the judge had to look at whether there was a serious issue to be tried, whether he was a flight risk, and whether it was in the public interest to release him.
The judge also had to examine the confession Skiffington made during a controversial police sting known as a Mr. Big operation.
Skiffington is claiming that the confession was false and unreliable and that there was no confirmatory evidence in the case.
The Crown, which opposed bail, argued that there was motive and opportunity for Skiffington to have committed the crime.
The judge decided that he would not need to determine the issue of motive and opportunity, leaving that to others to consider.
He found that Skiffington would surrender himself into custody and that it was in the public interest to release him. The judge also noted that he had already effectively served out his sentence and that the minister’s investigation might take several years.